Search

Senator McAuliffe signals support for charter schools

January 27, 2014

In an interview Thursday with Austin Jenkins on Inside Olympia, Senator Rosemary McAuliffe (D-Bothell) signaled her support for charter schools.

Sen. McAuliffe, ranking minority member of the Senate education committee and, like most Democrats in the legislature, had strongly opposed passage of Initiative 1240, the 2012 ballot measure that ended Washington’s ban on charter schools. Here are her comments (at 55:31 to 55:45):

Austin Jenkins: “You were not a supporter of the charter school initiative?”

Senator McAuliffe: “I wasn’t a supporter I would say 10 years ago. Ten years later, I think we are ready to go.”

Austin Jenkins: “Are you optimistic this will be a successful experiment?”

Senator McAuliffe: “I think we’ve learned a lot in the last twenty years. Yes I do.”

Sen. McAuliffe’s shift indicates a softening of opposition among Olympia Democrats to allowing Washington families to send their children to a charter schools. Organized labor, meanwhile, remains strongly opposed to allowing children to attend a charter school. Top executives at the Washington Education Association supported a lawsuit in King County superior court to get the voter-passed law overturned. The court upheld the law and implementation of Initiative 1240 is moving forward.

Next Thursday the state Charter School Commission will announce which of the 19 charter school applications it received have been approved for the 2014-15 school year. Under the law, eight schools are allowed to open the first year. Spokane School District officials have already approved a charter school to serve children in their area.

Comments

I have a feeling there is a lot more to what Senator Rosemary McAuliffe said about her "support" for charter "schools".

Why do I say that, well it's because of the other consistent spins, exaggerations and outright fibs you've been telling all along about charters since the odious I-1240 was purchased by a group of billionaires trying to buy legislation that would never adversely impact their own precious progeny.

Take for instance this whopper: "The court upheld the law and implementation of Initiative 1240 is moving forward." No, actually the court did the opposite. And it the mendacious trash known as 1240 "moves forward" it is because the group of shills sitting on its board is violating the law and the state's constitution.

I understand, Liz, that you have wised up a bit and are opposing Common Core; good for you. You're part of the way there to enlightenment and realism.

But if you STILL support charters, you can justifiably be classified---no personal offense intended---as one of the "useful idiots" needed by this horrific neo-liberal/corporate conservative coalition that intends to phase out local control of public schools, have private entities suck up much of our tax dollars and then impose a DC Controlled and Dictated National Education Policy on all of us, no matter our ideological inclination.

When public education essentially ceases to exist, and when our children are told to pledge allegiance to The Big Government-Big Corporate-Big Bank entity that you so enthusiastically assisted in establishing itself here, will you suddenly be "shocked" when they are no longer even pretending to consider "small fry" like you and stop returning your phone calls altogether?

Do you have a strategy that goes beyond, "Oh, but that would never happen to me, after all of the work we've done on their behalf..."

Sure. Okay. No worries..."I'm sure it will all work out dear. He's just sowing some wild oats and he'll be calling back again because he really does love you with all his heart and Walton-Gates-Broad Purchased Soul.

Remember, like all street pushers of stuff that most sensible, middle class people wouldn't go near, "the first one is always free."

It's only later, when your once decent life is in tatters that you'll learn the REAL cost of that flirtation.